Phx-Suns.Net

carey wrote:http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-bas ... hter-scale

WELCOME TO THE DRAGIC KINGDOM

Goran Dragic is one of the biggest names in talks. The situation can be simplified to this: the Suns clearly want to keep him (Yahoo), but the money situation complicates a lot for them. They basically signed two point guards to big deals and the third one, the best one, Dragic, is a free agent this summer. So they have to decide if they can re-sign him even if they offer him a max, considering the Lakers and Knicks and other teams will throw him the four-year max.

But it's been clear from Dragic's comments and body language this year that the three-point-guard system Phoenix decided to try out hasn't made him super happy. He wants his minutes and usage back, wants to have more control over the offense. Eric Bledsoe is one thing, he's able to play two-guard, is more dash-and-crash, and he and Dragic have good chemistry. But Isaiah Thomas is 26th in the league in isolation frequency, per NBA.com. He ISO's 16 percent of the time, and is in the 68th percentile in scoring in such situations. That's a lot of one-on-one basketball for a point guard.

The easy answer is "trade Thomas, use that money to re-sign Dragic" and that's clearly the Suns' preferred course (again, reported by Yahoo). But if they trade Thomas and then Dragic decides he just wants to leave, which isn't out of the question, the Suns aren't completely screwed, but they're pretty screwed. So then the question becomes, if you trade Dragic to prevent such a scenario, what do you want in return?

Yahoo says that's an All-Star "potential" player (think Tobias Harris or Nikola Vucevic or come to think of it, half the Magic roster) and a first-round pick. The teams capable of such a trade are basically Orlando, Denver, the Sixers, the Lakers (if they moved Julius Randle and even that's a stretch), and Houston (depending on how the Suns feel about Terrence Jones).

Dragic is reportedly meeting with the Suns on Tuesday. After that, expect word to either be solidified that they're going to keep him and shut off calls for him while opening up further talks for Thomas, or reverse course and aggressively pursue a deal. Houston remains the most active pursuant, but they're probably going to need a 3-way deal to get what Phoenix will want.

Sunsfan4life wrote:http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/cel ... iah-thomas

If the Celtics are interested, it seems possible considering Ainge and Ryan are very close.

Nevertheless, the Clippers have probed the market with Jamal Crawford to see if there's a way to acquire a first-round pick that could help them make a competitive offer to Denver for Wilson Chandler or Arron Afflalo, league sources said. The Clippers have also had a continuing interest with Phoenix's Gerald Green, sources said.

The Phoenix Suns are determined and hopeful of re-signing free-agent guard Goran Dragic to a contract extension this summer, but are still operating without a clear-cut commitment from him, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The Suns have been engaged in talks involving Thomas and guard Gerald Green prior to Thursday's trade deadline, but there are no assurances Phoenix will find a deal for them.

Around Dragic, there's a strong belief he'll re-sign with the Suns in July should his comfort level return to his 2013-14 form with the Suns. Dragic has had a strong relationship with Suns coach Jeff Hornacek and general manager Ryan McDonough, and enjoyed playing on the Suns with his brother, Zoran.

Indy wrote:

According to two people with knowledge of the situation, the representatives for the Phoenix Suns point guard told team officials in a Tuesday meeting that he has no plans to re-sign in Phoenix this summer as a free agent.

With the Thursday trade deadline looming and the clear message now sent that Dragic plans on playing elsewhere next season, it remains to be seen if Suns general manager Ryan McDonough will succumb to the pressure and agree to a deal. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

AmareIsGod wrote:Or Houston is leaking a fake story hoping to force our hand.

One can only dream...

Unlikely as Dragic would have refuted this with ownership already.

Then again, who knows what's being actually said behind the scenes at this point...

I believe he wants out.

Superbone wrote:Who can blame him the way he's been minimized. From most improved player in the league, third team all-NBA to this?

Shabazz wrote:

Superbone wrote:Who can blame him the way he's been minimized. From most improved player in the league, third team all-NBA to this?

What's "this?" The ignominy of changing his game to fit Eric Bledsoe?

INFORMER wrote:

Shabazz wrote:

Superbone wrote:Who can blame him the way he's been minimized. From most improved player in the league, third team all-NBA to this?

What's "this?" The ignominy of changing his game to fit Eric Bledsoe?

Fixed it for you.

Shabazz wrote:There's benefits to playing next to Bledsoe as well. Dragic typically takes the easier defensive assignment.

Shabazz wrote:He's a tier-2 point guard.

Shabazz wrote:Not to bash the guy, but he could use help.

Shabazz wrote: Enjoy leading Tim Hardaway Jr., Melo and Karl Towns to many straight first round exits!